The Three LieutenantsKingston, William Henry Giles
General
The Three Lieutenants
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Officers -- Juvenile fiction; Sea stories
"The scorching day came to an end at last. The night gave us some
relief, and then Mr Rogers served out half a glass of wine to each of
us with our biscuit and fruit. We made ourselves fast to the rigging as
we had done the night before, and the midshipmen went to sleep with
Spider nestling down among them, just as if they had been accustomed to
it all their lives. Before I could close my eyes I made certain that
they were secure--I don't mean to say that they slept all the night
through. I several times heard them talking, and even joking, trying to
keep up each other's spirits, and then they would get drowsy and go to
sleep, and then rouse up again and have another yarn. I couldn't sleep
many minutes together, for I couldn't help thinking of what might befall
the poor young gentlemen if the calm was to continue, for the fruit was
spoiling, we had only an orange apiece for the next morning, and the
wine and dry biscuit without water wouldn't keep life in them many
hours, while another day's sun was striking down on their heads--I might
hold out long after they were gone. This was the thing that troubled
me. I couldn't lie quiet, and I was every ten minutes getting up and
looking round, though I knew well enough that without wind no vessel
could come near us. Towards morning I fell asleep for a longer spell.
I was awoke by the sun coming into my eyes, and looking round what
should I see but Master Spider sitting close to the basket of
provisions, sucking away at an orange in his paws. I shouted out to the
rascal, who only looked up and grinned and chattered as much as to say,
`I want my breakfast as much as you do.' My voice awoke his masters,
who starting up, saw what their friend was about. The rascal had
already eaten two of our precious oranges, and had just begun a third.
When Mr Rogers took it from him, Master Spider seemed to think he was
very hardly treated, and grinned, and chattered, and tried to get hold
of it again.
"`There's no use punishing the poor brute,' said the young gentleman;
`he only acted according to his nature, and of course he thinks that he
has as much right to the fruit as we have, only he ought not to have
taken more than his proper share.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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